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Rockstar has revealed a steady slate of L.A. Noire DLC, coming until late July, that includes four new cases for Cole Phelps to bring his seething congeniality to. (Yep, the previously Best Buy-exclusive Nicholson Electroplating arson case is on the list.) You could buy all the content piecemeal for $20, or you could pre-purchase all of it for $10 with the newly announced Rockstar Pass. After June 14, the price of the pass will increase to $12.

Just as I suspected. Not a bad deal (Are cases worth $4? Probably not. $2.50? Still don't know, but better). I may buy the pass while I can and keep an eye on Amazon for when the price drops.

As we all know, one website name is more than enough to confirm the rumored final name of the temporarily named NGP as "PlayStation Vita." Okay, okay, we may be getting ahead of ourselves a bit, but it is certainly interesting that Sony's developer sites contain a curious subdomain: Vita.SCEdev.net.

Sony appears to be trying to take a page out of Nintendo's book for terrible product names.

Starting as a beta this summer and then launching on November 8, 2011—the same day as the next Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 3—Call of Duty: Elite will be a PC and mobile service that lets players track their stats, compete for real and virtual prizes, and form both social and gaming groups with players from across multiple CoD games.

Elite will be available in two tiers of service, one for paying and one for non-paying Call of Duty multiplayer fanatics. While all of the perks of membership are yet to be announced, that paying group may never have to pay for a Call of Duty map pack separately again.

At a glance, Elite resembles Bungie.net, the richly-detailed stat tracking service for that other mighty first-person-shooter series, Halo. But the top people behind the Elite project, including the heads of Beachhead Studios, an outfit dedicated exclusively to building and supporting Elite, promise that their service will prove to be the best of its kind, transcending expectations of websites for multiplayer video games.

It's not clear which other Elite elements will be exclusive to the paid version, let alone what a premium membership will cost. The paid version is at least confirmed to include more than just access to Elite.

Based on what we've been shown of Elite so far, the service looks like it will give CoD addicts a trove of data and networking options that they will surely enjoy. It doesn't offer anything to the single-player-only CoD gamer.

Well, now we know where MW2and Black Ops' stat tracking went.

It's difficult not to jump to conclusions. I'd have to assume that the stat tracking will be free and be at least as good as bungie's, though I don't put it past them to hide some of the better features of it behind a paywall.

What I do expect from the paywall (aside from DLC) is HD Youtube videos (Also, MW3 Theater confirmed?). My biggest issue is from the sounds of things this service will cost as much as XBOX Live Gold, and at $60 a year, I better be getting more than $30 worth of overpriced map packs and a few Youtube videos. (I also have to wonder what their incentive will be for you to subscribe year round. Or what limits will be placed on the DLC should you cancel the premium service)

I assume you're using a headset for movies so you don't disturb someone? Because otherwise why would you use a headset for movies?!? I never use a headset for movies. Then again there isn't too many people to disturb.

Small room and I don't want speakers in random places around the walls. If I went for speakers it would probably be a soundbar. I've currently got Creative computer speakers there, and even those are better that the built in ones in the TV

It says that the surround sound feature would work only with firmware 3.70 and higher. Those keeping count would know that the PS3 is currently on the 3.61 firmware and 3.70 is not even out yet.[B] So this upcoming 3.70 firmware would enable surround sound output through the USB.

What we are interested in knowing is whether this works only for Sony’s headset or other USB headsets as well.

Lets hope so.

"The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church" Saint Tertullian, 197 AD

It's difficult not to jump to conclusions. I'd have to assume that the stat tracking will be free and be at least as good as bungie's, though I don't put it past them to hide some of the better features of it behind a paywall.

What I do expect from the paywall (aside from DLC) is HD Youtube videos (Also, MW3 Theater confirmed?). My biggest issue is from the sounds of things this service will cost as much as XBOX Live Gold, and at $60 a year, I better be getting more than $30 worth of overpriced map packs and a few Youtube videos. (I also have to wonder what their incentive will be for you to subscribe year round. Or what limits will be placed on the DLC should you cancel the premium service)

Ball's in your court, Satan.

Bungie.net is the gold standard for stat tracking. I'm hoping the free Elite service offers the same.

I just can't fathom why they won't allow the headphones to work with Blu-ray.

The article doesn't say that. It just says the surround sound (probably meaning 7.1 audio) doesn't work. You can probably listen in stereo. It might be a technical limitation, not a DRM issue, but you never know with Sony. I don't buy anything from that evil company.

Wouldn't have made a difference. HD-DVD used AACS as well, and thus had the same moronic license agreement regarding the Protected Audio Path. Only difference for Bluray is BD+, which is annoying as all H E double hockeysticks, but does seem to sort-of work as it needs to be rebroken every now and then.

The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.

Though there weren't that many days left in this week in which to relaunch PSN, Sony has officially narrowed down the date for reactivation of the PlayStation Store and other services -- to today (June 2). Qriocity services will also come back.

"We have engaged some top Hollywood talent to create linear video content that will be exclusive to Elite members," Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg tells the Guardian. "That content is inspired by Call of Duty."

Hey Activision, if you think this will justify more than 5¢ worth of whatever awful price you're going to charge each month, think again.

"All PSP titles that are currently available on the PSN can be played on the NGP," VP of product development at SCEA Scott Rohde told a crowd of game journalists. "And they'll take full advantage of the graphics smoothing capabilities of the system and the controls will be remapped to take advantage of the dual analog sticks."

If Sony doesn't drop the ball on pricing, this thing could get real attractive.

Sequel to Metro: 2033, one of my favorite games of last year. Some beautiful screens and a nice teaser trailer are up for viewing.

I hope they ironed out some of the bugs, namely the hit detection which could be very confusing at times, Otherwise it's another game from 4A studios, made up mostly of the now defunct GSC Game Studios responsible for my favorite survival horror series ever, STALKER.

Nobody makes an immersive experience like these guys, true pros of the atmospheric game. I'll be picking it up release day for sure.

It had better look danged good to get people to actually buy a handheld system in the days of iPhone/Android gaming.

As someone who owns a PSP and and iPhone, when I want to seriously game, my iPhone is not even a consideration for anything other than small casual gaming. The NGP is about having a portable console gaming experience, which the iPhone/Android have no market (Lack of buttons being the major issue). That is the big selling point for me, personally.

Example: being NBA Jam on the iPhone is one of my favorites. It would be better if I didn't have to use my fingers on top of the damn screen to control it, thus blocking my view. You can only do so much with touch being your only input option. But for what it cost, I can deal with it. I still love that game and play it when stuck somewhere from home.

As someone who owns a PSP and and iPhone, when I want to seriously game, my iPhone is not even a consideration for anything other than small casual gaming. The NGP is about having a portable console gaming experience, which the iPhone/Android have no market (Lack of buttons being the major issue). That is the big selling point for me, personally.

Example: being NBA Jam on the iPhone is one of my favorites. It would be better if I didn't have to use my fingers on top of the damn screen to control it, thus blocking my view. You can only do so much with touch being your only input option. But for what it cost, I can deal with it. I still love that game and play it when stuck somewhere from home.

I absolutely agree about the controls and "serious games", but what Nintendo/Sony are pushing up against now is that for (seemingly) the majority of people out there, iPhone/Android games are good enough.

When certain types of games work well on a touch device, and they're not just mildly enjoyable, but really good (or even great), it becomes harder to justify a $250 device that really only does one thing well. The end of the portable gaming device era is drawing a lot closer than Sony and Nintendo are hoping.

I absolutely agree about the controls and "serious games", but what Nintendo/Sony are pushing up against now is that for (seemingly) the majority of people out there, iPhone/Android games are good enough.

When certain types of games work well on a touch device, and they're not just mildly enjoyable, but really good (or even great), it becomes harder to justify a $250 device that really only does one thing well. The end of the portable gaming device era is drawing a lot closer than Sony and Nintendo are hoping.

I don't see the NGP doing that at all, if anything it's trying to do both. I agree with everyone that the price point is going to be critical. More important than the console price, is the game prices. I think that is the biggest challenge for the entire industry going forward is that the iPhone/Android market have shown when digital only, give a damn price break. Why would I pay retail price for a downloadable copy, I can't resell, or play on another machine? The market has shown that $60 games are too much, just looking at the growth of the used game market. GameStop has companies trying to screw customers over now with DLC, pre-orders, and now online passes.

In an effort to make 3D gaming more accessible, Sony has announced the PlayStation 3D Display, a 24" LED LCD 1080p HDTV that will retail for $499.99 when it launches later this year.

Price is, of course, one of the biggest hangups consumers have with 3D HDTVs -- if, of course, they like 3D technology at all -- so naturally, a $499.99 3D-enabled display is intriguing. Though the display isn't particularly large, the picture quality was better than I was expecting.

It boasts a 5000:1 contrast ratio, 240Hz refresh rate, and a 176 degree viewing angle, delivered via an edge lit LED display, making gameplay vibrant but not over-saturated.

But of course, the PlayStation 3D Display's major marketing point is it's Two Player Mode, which allows two players to see two separate fullscreen images using stereoscopic active shutter glasses. Instead of having to view a splitscreen image, the PlayStation 3D Display overlays the images on top of each other, but each pair of glasses is synched to only one layer.

Here's what the 'new' New Xbox Experience looks like | Joystiq
I suppose the nature of the industry requires such aesthetic overhauls to occur so often, but it seems pointless. If I read the graphic correctly, looks like we'll be going vertical scrolling through categories to horizontal – just the way it was before NXE.

YouTube coming to Xbox Live | Joystiq
I'm actually pretty pumped for this. I watch a lot of gameplay videos, and if it defaults to HD it'd be 5x better than the pain in the ass it is to watch it on a comp.

Here's what the 'new' New Xbox Experience looks like | Joystiq
I suppose the nature of the industry requires such aesthetic overhauls to occur so often, but it seems pointless. If I read the graphic correctly, looks like we'll be going vertical scrolling through categories to horizontal – just the way it was before NXE.

I notice the new XBL interface uses "Apps" instead of lumping Netflix, Hulu, ESPN3, etc. into Videos, as well as Facebook and the rest. About freaking time.

As soon as it was announced for PS+, I knew it would show up on XBL shortly.

YouTube coming to Xbox Live | Joystiq
I'm actually pretty pumped for this. I watch a lot of gameplay videos, and if it defaults to HD it'd be 5x better than the pain in the ass it is to watch it on a comp.

It all depends on the interface for me. I hate typing on an on-screen QWERTY. And considering how great YouTubers are with spelling/grammar, Kinect voice search might not always bring up exactly what you want.

I notice the new XBL interface uses "Apps" instead of lumping Netflix, Hulu, ESPN3, etc. into Videos, as well as Facebook and the rest. About freaking time.

Of course, it looks like they've hidden it as far away from the start screen as possible, much like the friends list.

Originally Posted by Jawbone54

As soon as it was announced for PS+, I knew it would show up on XBL shortly.

It took over a year.

Originally Posted by Jawbone54

It all depends on the interface for me. I hate typing on an on-screen QWERTY. And considering how great YouTubers are with spelling/grammar, Kinect voice search might not always bring up exactly what you want.

I have the keypad, so not too big of a deal. I wonder how efficient kinect is versus the d-pad.

Originally Posted by Jawbone54

Movie/TV addicts and videophiles bought a PS3 for Blu-ray long ago. Not surprising.

Raw numbers. XBOX is up by like 10 million units in North America (Nearly 40% more consoles). Does not compute.

Haha, I love that this horrible argument is getting trotted out to defend my incredulousness that the PS3 is top on something.

I found another article corroborating the numbers. Blu-Ray aside it's still shocking that with a year's lead and a huge install advantage the PS3 is leading.

Horrible? I think it makes perfect sense.

Now that I think about it, I couldn't begin to tell you how often I see my PSN friends on Netflix. Meanwhile, on 360, it seems like it's mostly just you (watching Blackadder or Fry and Laurie). Good taste, BTW.

Well, there's a key difference between those examples and what Sony is doing. (And for the third time, I disavowed MS' DLC tactic, so would you kindly let it the **** go?).

Here's a question for you: How much vitriol did I show for Sony's Hulu Plus exclusivity? Hint: You'll find I've been consistent.

Considering that exclusivity deals (particularly on DLC) have become entrenched within the industry this generation, you're probably the one that needs to let it go. I'll take your word that you've been consistent (not least of all because I'm sure as heck not going through dozens of pages to find the quotes) -- I just think Microsoft usually comes out on top on these exclusivity deals. It sucks for consumers, but it's not going away any time soon. I hate it, but I'll accept it as best I can.

It's an overplayed chiché. It might have been true of the past, but much like the Wii's oft-lamented lack of 3rd party support, it's mostly smoke and mirrors now.

Originally Posted by Jawbone54

Now that I think about it, I couldn't begin to tell you how often I see my PSN friends on Netflix. Meanwhile, on 360, it seems like it's mostly just you (watching Blackadder or Fry and Laurie). Good taste, BTW.

Fatty, Todd, saint, euthyphro, subie... I see them all on Netflix with regularity. I have no PS3 friends to compare with (though Todd used to to do his viewing on there).

Originally Posted by Jawbone54

Considering that exclusivity deals (particularly on DLC) have become entrenched within the industry this generation, you're probably the one that needs to let it go. I'll take your word that you've been consistent (not least of all because I'm sure as heck not going through dozens of pages to find the quotes) -- I just think Microsoft usually comes out on top on these exclusivity deals. It sucks for consumers, but it's not going away any time soon. I hate it, but I'll accept it as best I can.

Really? What console exclusive DLC was coming out before two years ago? And what exclusive DLC has MS locked down?

Yeah, there were occasional retailer exclusives but they were rarely actual in-game content.

- Live TV announced for XBL. Yay. Now just give me more details.
- Halo: CE, not just in HD, but remastered totally. Looks great.
- I'm regretting buying a Kinect, but MSoft reminded me that it's a pretty impressive piece of technology.
- Sony's apology was classy. Link to YouTube video (about 5 minutes).
- Uncharted 3 still looks amazing, and remains my most anticipated game of the generation.
- Sony showed a ton of exclusives that all looked great, Resistance 3 in particular.
- PS Vita is a stupid name (and is supposed to be pronounced "wee-ta"), but $250/300 is right-on, and gives them a fighting shot. Also, the games looked great.
- FIFA 12's Football Club adds more features to the greatest sports game out there.